Intuition or deliberation? Where you can (and can't) trust your brain

Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking,FastandSlow (2011) – a recapitulation of the decades of research that led to his winning the Nobel Prize – explains his contributions to our current understanding of psychology and behavioral economics. Over the years, Kahneman and his colleagues, whose work the book discusses at length, have significantly contributed to a new understanding of the human mind. We now have a better understanding of how decisions are made, why certain judgment errors are so common and how we can improve ourselves.

This is a Blinkist staff pick

“Complex processes put in simple words, accompanied by adequate examples – this book-in-blinks made me reflect on the way I make decisions and interpret major events in life. If you’re looking for thought-provoking reading material, that’s your pick!”

– Plamena, Customer Support

Anyone interested in how our minds work, how we solve problems, how we make judgments and what weaknesses our minds are predisposed to

Anyone interested in Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman’s contributions to psychology and behavioral economics, and how those contributions apply to society at large

Daniel Kahneman, PhD, won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2002. He is the Senior Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Professor of Psychology and Public Affairs Emeritus at the Woodrow Wilson School, Eugene Higgins Professor of Psychology Emeritus at Princeton University, and a fellow of the Center for Rationality at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Go Premium and get the best of Blinkist

Upgrade to Premium now and get unlimited access to the Blinkist library. Read or listen to key insights from the world’s best nonfiction.

Get the key ideas from

Get the key ideas from

Thinking, Fast and Slow

Synopsis

Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking,FastandSlow (2011) – a recapitulation of the decades of research that led to his winning the Nobel Prize – explains his contributions to our current understanding of psychology and behavioral economics. Over the years, Kahneman and his colleagues, whose work the book discusses at length, have significantly contributed to a new understanding of the human mind. We now have a better understanding of how decisions are made, why certain judgment errors are so common and how we can improve ourselves.

This is a Blinkist staff pick

“Complex processes put in simple words, accompanied by adequate examples – this book-in-blinks made me reflect on the way I make decisions and interpret major events in life. If you’re looking for thought-provoking reading material, that’s your pick!”

– Plamena, Customer Support

Key idea 1 of 12

The lazy mind: how laziness can lead to errors and affect our intelligence.

To see how the two systems work, try solving this famous bat-and-ball problem:

A bat and ball cost $1.10. The bat costs one dollar more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?

The price that most likely came to your mind, $0.10, is a result of the intuitive and automatic System 1, and it’s wrong! Take a second and do the math now.

Do you see your mistake? The correct answer is $0.05.

What happened was that your impulsive System 1 took control and automatically answered by relying on intuition. But it answered too fast.

Usually, when faced with a situation it can’t comprehend, System 1 calls on System 2 to work out the problem, but in the bat-and-ball problem, System 1 is tricked. It perceives the problem as simpler than it is, and incorrectly assumes it can handle it on its own.

The issue the bat-and-ball problem exposes is our innate mental laziness. When we use our brain, we tend to use the minimum amount of energy possible for each task. This is known as the law of least effort. Because checking the answer with System 2 would use more energy, our mind won’t do it when it thinks it can just get by with System 1.

This laziness is unfortunate, because using System 2 is an important aspect of our intelligence. Research shows that practicing System-2 tasks, like focus and self-control, lead to higher intelligence scores. The bat-and-ball problem illustrates this, as our minds could have checked the answer by using System 2 and thereby avoided making this common error.

By being lazy and avoiding using System 2, our mind is limiting the strength of our intelligence.

You’ve started, don’t stop! Keep reading with Blinkist

Start your free Blinkist trial to get unlimited access to key ideas from Thinking, Fast and Slow and over 3,000 other nonfiction titles. With bitesize text and audio, it's easier than ever to find the right ideas to transform your life.

Start your free Blinkist trial to get unlimited access to key ideas from Thinking, Fast and Slow and over 3,000 other nonfiction titles. With bitesize text and audio, it's easier than ever to find the right ideas to transform your life.

Curious? Try Blinkist for free for 7 days. Don’t worry, if you cancel within the trial period you won’t be charged.